Advent2025_Dec19

My Eyes Have Seen Your Salvation
Luke 2:25–32

In Jesus, God keeps His promises . . . salvation has arrived, and light has dawned for the nations.

There are moments in Scripture that feel almost too sacred to put into words, and Simeon’s meeting with the infant Jesus is one of them.

Luke tells us Simeon was “righteous and devout,” a man whose life was shaped by the quiet habits of waiting, hoping, and trusting. He wasn’t impressive in the eyes of the world. He had no title, no position, nor any earthly power. But heaven knew his name. The Holy Spirit was upon him, and God had whispered a promise that had sustained him for years: He would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.

Imagine carrying that promise in your heart every day. Imagine walking into the temple each morning thinking, “Maybe today.” Imagine growing older, watching kingdoms rise and fall, hearing Rome’s heavy footsteps through Jerusalem’s streets . . . and still believing.

And then one day, the Spirit nudges him. Simeon walks into the temple courts at the exact moment Mary and Joseph arrive with the child. Not a second late. Not a moment early. The same God who moves emperors to fulfill prophecy now moves an old man’s feet to fulfill a promise. Simeon takes the baby in his arms—the arms of a man who has spent more years than he has left—and suddenly the waiting is over.

His prayer is not long, but it is glorious: “Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace . . . for my eyes have seen Your salvation.”

Simeon does not say, “My eyes have seen a symbol of salvation,” or “the beginnings of salvation.” He says Your salvation... meaning, a Person. The rescue God promised for centuries is now held in his hands.

Then comes the part Luke wants us all to hear: “A light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to Your people Israel.”

The child in Simeon’s arms is not only Israel’s Messiah. He is the world’s Savior. The Light Isaiah promised . . . the Servant who would bring salvation to the ends of the earth . . . the dawn Zechariah sang about—is now wrapped in swaddling cloths, carried by a carpenter and his young wife.

Simeon can die in peace because Christ has come. And we can live in hope for the very same reason.
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For Young Ones: What did Simeon do when he saw Jesus? Why was he so joyful?

For Older Ones: As you wait for God’s promises, how might Simeon encourage you to speak hope, not just hold it, while you wait?

Pray: Lord, like Simeon, help us to wait well, trust Your promises, and find our peace in Christ alone.

Family Practice: Light a candle tonight and read Luke 2:29–32 again. Talk briefly about what it means for Jesus to be “a light for the nations.”